clifffawcett

Wow does not seem adequate to describe this photo, it is beautiful. I can only imagine how you must have felt photographing it to actually see the blue color. Love the bird. Never knew Niagara Falls was this beautiful.

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Location

This photo was taken on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls in March 2015 - it had been an incredibly cold winter and the snow and ice was still encasing everything that wasn't moving

Time

This is my favourite shot from the time I spent at Niagara Falls - I only had a little time there so had to feel really attuned to what was happening to get the most out of the shoot. This image was shot just before 3pm on the 13th March 2015 - typically you hear this is not a great time for photographs because of the light, but if you have a vision in mind you can capture some incredible things! Have some ideas in mind but always work with whats in front of your lens - you'll create some great shots!

Lighting

The light was coming and going as clouds streamed across the sky - it had a lovely way of dappling the snow in beautiful golden light. The availability of light also meant that I knew I would have great detail throughout the image - from the highlights to the shadows - which was important to me as I knew I wanted to capture every detail from the misty water to the icicles clinging to the rocks

Equipment

This was shot on a Nikon D7100 (f10, 1/1600 sec @ 200mm). The ISO was set at 400 so I could ensure a fast shutter speed and high enough aperture to capture detail throughout the photo (i.e. the bird, rocks, water)

Inspiration

When I heard that the Falls were so covered in ice and snow I knew I had to get there to see them. It was breathtaking. The Falls were magically encased in ice so I knew I wanted to capture not only the immensity of the scale but also the grandeur of the scene. As I worked the scene this huge ice covered pinnacle, with icicles all down its flank was mesmerising as the light moved across it and birds circled it. I had to capture this. Then it was just waiting for the right moment - a lone bird soaring in front of this incredible backdrop.

Editing

As with most landscape photographs a little work was required to make the most of the light. Following some basic adjustments in Lightroom (exposure, whites, darks) I moved the image into Photoshop where I proceeded to increase the contrast a little (curves adjustment) and then focused on bringing out the colour in the highlights (using luminosity masks) on specific colour balance and photo filter adjustments. Doing this brought out greater colour contrast between the cold shadows and the warm highlights. The photo was finished with some localised clarity adjustments and vignetting

In my camera bag

My kit has to be with me wherever I go so it has to fit in one bag. I use a Manfrotto advanced travel backpack (which contains a travel tripod), a Nikon D7100 and 3 lenses which cover me for most eventualities (11-16mm, 2.8; 24-70mm, 2.8; 70-200mm, 2.8). I then carry a number of ND filters (as I love taking long exposure images), a remote, spare batteries and a small reflector. I can carry this kit with me for days, no matter where I go.

Feedback

I knew I was going to be at Niagara Falls in the middle of the day - due to my travel plans, this couldn't be helped. So I knew I was going to have to work hard to make the most of the light at that part of the day. I went with some ideas (e.g. Showing the immensity of the falls) and having already looked at images and maps knew where some good spots would be. After that it was about working with the light, the conditions on the day and evolving my ingoing vision. Have a plan but always be willing to adapt. In fact, always want to adapt. Experiment and have fun!